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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27175627">indelible</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/antithestral/pseuds/antithestral'>antithestral</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DCU, DCU (Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:10:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>915</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27175627</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/antithestral/pseuds/antithestral</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>[ABANDONED]</p><p>I think the premise of this fic was, the powers of the Star Sapphire (?) get co-opted by nebulously as-yet undefined Bad Guys, who put Bruce and Hal into a suspended state of animation, very much a la the stasis pods on Stargate: Atlantis, or the djinn episode on Supernatural, a kind of false-reality, wish-fulfilment scenario — the question, of course, being: Whose wish got fulfilled there?</p><p>Anyway, the fic starts just after Hal and Bruce have managed to eject themselves from the Star Sapphire's control, and deals with the aftermath of... that. Or it was supposed to, anyway.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hal Jordan/Bruce Wayne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>indelible</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Bruce,” said that voice, and Bruce sucked in a deep, shaky breath. The world was colored in shades of blood, and his heart felt like it was thrashing against his ribs, like a maddened, wounded animal, desperate to escape. “Bruce,” it said again, quiet, and warm, and everywhere. </p><p><em>‘Open your eyes,’ </em>and so Bruce did, and the sky was blue, and the sun was high, and his mouth felt like something had died in it. Water sloshed gently against his feet. Bruce looked down, and saw the edge of a Caribbean blue sea. He was on a beach. <em>‘We made it.’</em></p><p>“Bruce?” and then he looked up - saw Clark and Shayera, kneeling in the sand by his head, identical expressions of worry on their faces, and--Dr. Thompkins?</p><p>“You gave us quite a fright there, Mr. Wayne,” Dr. Thompkins said quietly, and Bruce looked down again, looked at himself, saw the sticky defibrillator pads on his chest, the inch deep lacerations against his ribs, like the talons of a hungry scavenger had raked through the skin, bright red, raw with sea salt.</p><p>“Where-” Bruce started to say, and surely he meant to finish, <em>‘Where am I?’ </em>or perhaps, <em>‘Where did you find me?’ </em>but instead he asked, “Where's Hal?” hating that pathetic thread of---need, in his voice. </p><p>That was not him. </p><p>That could not be him. </p><p>That wasn't--wasn't allowed, not anymore. </p><p><em>‘Where’s Hal?’ </em>Bruce asked, and Clark's eyes flicked to the side, to meet Shayera’s gaze, and something hard and cold and ugly settled in his gut.</p><p>Clark closed his eyes for a second. For a second, Bruce hated him. </p><p>When he looked at Bruce again, the irises were the precise shade of the Caribbean sea. “Bruce,” Clark said, and Bruce wanted to tell him to shut up, <em>to shut up</em>, he didn't want to hear the words, “Hal's gone.”</p><p>----</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>The house was dark when Bruce arrived. Exhaustion had settled in his bones, but there was something crawling under his skin. Nerves, maybe. Bruce knew he wouldn't be able to sleep if he tried. He walked to the east wing quietly, left his briefcase in the anteroom, and toed off his shoes and socks, walking barefoot into the bedroom, moonlight streaming in through the bank of windows on the eastern wall. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hal was asleep, the covers loosely draped over his waist, his back glowing silver blue in moonlight, face lax and painfully young in sleep. Something tightened in Bruce’s chest, and he had to stop for a moment, close his eyes and let it pass, before he walked in. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>He shrugged off his jacket, tugged open the top buttons of his shirt, and had poured himself a few fingers of whiskey, when he heard the rustle of bedsheets from behind him. Hal padded over softly, slipped an arm around his waist, while Bruce took his first sip, hooking his chin over Bruce’s shoulder. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You're late.” Hal’s voice was burred, sleep-heavy, half mumbled into the collar of his shirt. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Bruce covered Hal’s hand with his own over his stomach, and brought it up to his mouth, to taste salt, warm skin, sunlight. “I didn't mean to wake you up.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I don't mind.” The glass was picked out of his hand, kept aside, and Bruce turned around willingly when nudged, rested his forehead against Hal’s. Felt the sun-warm heat of a smile, even though his eyes were closed. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Hello,” Hal murmured, quick, clever hands working at the buttons of his shirt, running hands over his chest hungrily. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Hey,” Bruce replied, and then tilted Hal’s face up, and bit hungrily into his mouth, into the soft plushness of his lower lip, felt the ghost of laughter against his cheek, before he slotted their hips together, digging his fingers into the curve of his ass. </em>
</p><p>“Somebody<em> missed home,” Hal murmured, sounding breathlessly delighted, like he was </em>surprised, <em>like he didn't know that it was all Bruce thought of, all the time, </em>constantly,<em> ways to make Hal unspool with desire, to pull him apart, to make him drown in pleasure, that Bruce didn't ache for it, didn't </em>burn <em>for this, only this, only him--</em></p><p><em>“I missed </em>you<em>,” Bruce said, later, heartbeat slowly winding down into something manageable, while the sun crept up over the horizon. </em></p><p>
  <em>Hal hummed to himself, twisted onto his side, tossing a leg over Bruce’s thigh, pressing an obnoxiously wet kiss to his shoulder. “I missed you too, baby,” he said to Bruce’s collarbone, slipping deeper into sleep. His hair was silk-soft, tickling against Bruce’s chin. “I’m so happy you're home.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A hand sweeping down his chest, to fist possessively over his heart, and Bruce closed his eyes, shaken, brimming, feeling stretched out, overfull. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I don't remember ever being so happy,” he confessed to the ceiling.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Gffngh,” Hal mumbled in reply, and wound his ankle tighter against Bruce's knee, like a fiercely attached octopus, and his breath caught in his throat, at this perfect golden moment, suspended like a memory in amber, sunlight creeping through the east, bathing the world in rose, and he thought--</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I don't remember ever being so happy. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I don't remember. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>----</em>
</p><p>“Gone,” Bruce repeated dully. </p><p>Clark nodded, and carefully helped Bruce sit up. “He said it was necessary to get the artefact to Oa as soon as possible, to understand how the Star Sapphire could have been weaponized.”</p><p>Bruce closed his eyes. <em>Alive. Hal was alive. </em></p><p>“Bruce?” Shayera asked uncertainty. “Are you <em>sure </em>you're alright.”</p><p>“I need to--get back home.”</p><p>-----</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thanks for reading.<br/>find me on tumblr @pasdecoeur.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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